Learn about each type of armor in Minecraft. Armor is worn by the player to provide protection from various types of damage. There are five armor slots: helmet, chestplate, leggings, and boots and shield. Armor (except for a shield) is available in five tiers or sets: leather, chain, iron, gold and diamond.
Learn how to make a shield.
Learn how to make horse armor.
You can learn the crafting recipe for each piece of armor by clicking on it below.
Armor Toughness
Armor toughness protects the player by reducing the damage taken from attacks. In mobile/Bedrock editions, incoming damage is reduced by 4% per armor defense point. In the Java Edition of Minecraft Diamond armor has an additional toughness attribute which adds a slight additional armor reduction.
Armor Defense Points
Each piece of armor in Minecraft has a defensive point value.
| Armor Set | Defense Points |
| Leather | 7 |
| Chain | 12 |
| Iron | 15 |
| Gold | 11 |
| Diamond | 20 |
Leather Armor
Leather armor is crafted from leather and can also be found in tannery chests in villages.
Chainmail Armor (Chain Armor)
Chainmail armor cannot be crafted in Minecraft. Chain Armor can be bought from armorer villagers and it has a chance to drop from armored mobs. Chainmail armor is also found in various Bedrock Edition chests.
Iron Armor
The iron chestplate, leggings and boots provide better protection than leather armor, chain armor or gold armor. The iron helmet provides the same protection as the other tiers except for Diamond.
Iron Armor is crafted from iron bars. Iron bars are crafted in a furnace from iron ore which is easily found by mining.
Iron armor is sold by armorer villagers, drops off armored mobs and is found in chest throughout Minecraft.
Gold Armor
Gold armor provides the player with better protection than leather armor but the set provides less protection than chain armor, iron armor or diamond armor.
Gold armor is rarely used since it provides less protection and has less than half the durability of iron armor. Gold ore is much rarer than iron ore making gold armor more difficult to craft. The only advantage to gold armor is the additional enchantments it can receive, however, many players consider gold armor a novelty or vanity item because it breaks so quickly.
Diamond Armor
Diamond Armor provides the most protection to the player in Minecraft. Diamond Armor also has the highest durability.
Diamond Armor is crafted from diamonds which are found in diamond ore. Diamond armor can also be purchased from some village armorers for emeralds or found in chests.
Repairing Armor
Armor can be repaired using a grindstone or an anvil.